Built by the Scottish shipbuilder W. B. Thompson as the tug Indra, the ship was launched in 1885 and purchased by the Royal Navy.

In 1885, the Royal Navy purchased the tug Indra, which was under construction by the shipbuilder W. B. Thomson at their Dundee shipyard for service at Calcutta in India.

[1][3] The ship was powered by two 2-cylinder Compound steam engines, rated at 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW), driving two propeller shafts.

[5] On 11 November 1907, Hearty was carrying a cargo of lifejackets between Chatham and Sheerness when she encountered heavy fog, which caused the journey to be aborted.

[6] In September 1908 she was employed, together with the battleship Victorious and the repair ship Cyclops, in towing targets for the Nore division of the Home Fleet for battle practice in Moray Firth.